Chapter 10
Silently, Blake climbed out of the car and joined his hunters and warriors, leaving me behind in the car. Sighing, I undone my seat belt and climbed out of the car, before walking over to Blake and his Pack. Slowly, Blake turned around and looked at me before shaking his head slowly.
"Don't you ever do what your told?"
"Mmm, not really," I shrugged casually. "I told you that I'm coming with you!"
"Fine," huffed Blake quietly, sensing that he wasn't going to win this argument. "But you stay close to us okay. Come on, let's go!"
Before we could take one step towards the house, a loud noise from behind us surprised us. We turned around to see three menacing black wolves walking towards us, snarling angrily, their fangs exposed. Another loud growl echoed out from behind the house and as we turned back around, we came face to face with another six of the Eclipse Pack wolves. One by one, we all began to change into our own wolves, including myself and began snarling back until one of the wolves finally spoke.
"What are you doing here on our territory?" snarled the biggest wolf, who I recognised as a Warrior wolf named Ricky. "You're trespassing!"
"Ahh, finally, the calvary turns up!", Blake mocked loudly. "We had been wondering where you lot all was!"
"What is your business here dog!?" Ricky growled, completely ignoring Blake's sarcasm. "You have two minutes to get the hell out of here before we rip you and your pretty little Mate to pieces!"
"I want to see Alpha Alec regarding the treatment of my Mate. You may know here actually! Libby Westwood!" thundered Blake angrily. "Now, where in gods hell is he!?"
"Libby Westwood?" Ricky growled slowly, while cocking his head to one side in interest. "Wait, It can't be? What is she doing here, with you? She is meant to be dead! Buried alongside her parents in the Great Lake Cemetery!" "Dead?" laughed Blake sarcastically before nudging my white fur. "Does she look dead to you? Let me guess, Did Julianne make that one up?"
Before anyone could say another word, a tall stocky man with short brown hair ran out of the house and gasped loudly at the sight in front of him. Angrily, he marched up towards Ricky and Blake and stood in between them both. With a deathly calm voice, he turned to Ricky and the rest of the Eclipse Pack and muttered one word. Instantly, the wolves shifted back into their human forms and looked at us apologetically. Feeling no longer threatened, we too, all shifted back and stared back at Alpha Alec furiously. Feeling nervous of my previous Alpha, I stepped behind Blake and tried to cover away.
"What are you doing here Blake?" Alpha Alec asked curtly. "Not even been Alpha for a day and already you're causing up trouble."
"I'm here to get justice for my Mate," growled Blake loudly. "I'm sure you know who she is! Libby Westwood. Does the name ring a bell?"
Alpha Alec slowly peeled his eyes away from Blake and looked at me, his expression turning from annoyance to shock. Stumbling slightly, he shook his head in confusion and began to stutter in panic. It looked like he had seen a ghost due to how white his skin had now become.
"It can't be?" Alpha Alec spluttered. "We was told she ran away from the Pack and died at your very own hands for entering your territory!"
"And who told you that, I wonder?" snarled Blake angrily. "James and Julianne by any chance?"
"Well, yes I guess so," murmured Alpha Alec quietly. "They told me that they managed to retrieve her mangled body, but they tried to save her, but it was too late. They told us, that they buried Libby alongside her parents in the cemetery in an unmarked grave."
"An unmarked grave! Are you even for real?" thundered Alistair loudly. "And you believed them! How often do people just bury bodies in a cemetery with no official records of them being there Alec! Come on, surely you are not that stupid! Did none of you care that she was gone!? And for starters, there is no grave for her parents. Both of their bodies were never recovered!"
"Julianne told us that Libby no longer wanted to associate with wolves or her Pack. That she had disowned us all!" shrugged Alpha Alec nervously. "She told us that Libby had decided to forgo her wolf and embrace a more natural human life. That's why she ran away. That's why we never bothered chasing Libby up about it. We just kind of guessed, with having both parents deceased, she didn't want this lifestyle anymore."
"Do you even know what Libby went through at Julianne and James's hands?" hissed Blake angrily. "Shall I tell you? James raped her and repeatedly sexually assaulted her, while Julianne, kept her locked up in the home, forced her to be a slave and beat her up on numerous occasions. How is that okay!? Do you even know the laws regarding Pups?"
"It's not okay, no. I am so, so sorry Libby. I didn't know," gasped Alpha Alec sadly. "If I had of known, I would have sent the warriors out to come and get you. And of course, I know the laws! I helped write them, plus I am a very law-abiding citizen!"
"Ha! Okay then," smirked Blake. "If you say so! Where are James and Julianne now? Bring them to me! I am going to arrest them and take them back to our courthouse and have them punished for what they did!"
"You can't take two of my Pack members!" Alpha Alec roared loudly. "I won't let you! They may have committed wicked crimes, which I can assure you, they will be punished for, but I cannot let you take them!"
As quick as a flash, Blake rushed forward and grabbed Alpha Alec and threw him up against the bonnet of our car. Loud growls and snarls echoed out from the Eclipse Pack's wolves who began to rush forward to help their Alpha. As quick as lightening, our own Pack members rushed forward and began growling menacingly at the Eclipse warriors, effectively holding them back from getting to their Alpha and Blake.
"I won't tell, neither will I ask you again!" snarled Blake, his face close to Alpha Alec's ear. "Where the fuck is Julianne and James? Tell me now, or I won't hesitate to allow my warriors to rip the throats out of every Pack member of yours and including you, stood here today!"
"Okay, okay!" croaked a panic-stricken Alec. "Please, I don't know where they are! I've not seen them for a few days. They've not reported to the Packhouse! The best place to look would be at Julianne's house, right on the edge of our territory. She may be there! I'll get my trackers on it to hunt her down. Soon as we find her, I'll let you know, and you can come and get them!"
"No need!" growled Blake angrily before throwing Alpha Alec down towards the floor. "I'll go to the house myself. If you happen to find her before I do then I suggest you let me know as I will be back. If you don't let me know, then I'll rain a war on your Pack so hard, even god won't save you! Wolves, let's go!"
Silently, we all turned around and began to get back into our cars, pausing briefly to look back at Alpha Alec and his warriors. Alec had now stood himself up and was brushing the dust off of his clothes while looking furious, surrounded by a bunch of sheepish looking warriors. Silently, I turned around and climbed in the car, slamming the door behind me. Sighing, I closed my eyes and could feel my body trembling with adrenaline. "Libby, how do we get to Julianne's from here?" Blake asked gently, holding me hand. "We will find them, I promise."
"We are going there now?" I spluttered nervously. "Let Alec's trackers find them, like he said!"
"Yes, we are going there now," Blake replied stiffly. "No, I can't let them do that. They may find them and try to hide them. I can't take that chance, so again, how do we get there from here?" Nodding slowly, I relayed the instructions of how to get to the house and sat back in my seat nervously. We were only ten minutes away and judging by how fast Alistair was driving, we would be there a lot sooner. Before I knew it, the car was speeding through the familiar leafy streets, once again filled with children playing on bikes and scooters. I gulped nervously, as the familiar white housing estate creeped up on us. Swerving sharply, the cars raced, one by one, into the quiet cul-de-sac and towards the last house right at the end. Skidding to a halt on the drive, we all jumped out and I gasped in shock at the scene that lay before me. Instead of an immaculate drive and pristine gardens, there was now a drive strewn with rubbish and leaves and the grass was overgrown, and all the plants were dead and brown. The house was silent and seemed empty, which made my skin prickle and my blood run cold. What had gone on here? I walked slowly towards the house, my body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Slowly, I made my way through the long, unkempt grass, towards the front room window and peered in. The room was dark and looked messy and cluttered. It was clear to see that no one was in or had been here for a while.
"I thought you kept this place clean?" murmured Blake sarcastically. "This place is a right dump!"
"Thankyou! This place was clean!" I retorted back angrily. "It doesn't look like anyone has cleaned or looked after this place since I have been gone."
"Lazy, filthy sods is what they are!" Blake muttered. "Come on, we need to find them. Someone has to be here. What about Louisa?"
"I expect she is at her boyfriend's house," I replied dryly. "Let's just go home. It's clear they aren't here."
"No! I'm going inside!" insisted Blake loudly before walking back towards the front door. "There may be a clue inside to where they have gone!" Silently, I watched him march back towards the front door and thump loudly. As I had expected, the house remained silent. Growling in anger, he beckoned two warriors over and together, they began kicking in the front door. Within seconds, the door crashed loudly into the house, allowing us to enter into its murky depths. Stepping carefully over the threshold, I gasped in shock at what greeted me. The house was dark and stone cold and as I tried to flick on a light switch, I realised there was no electric either. A large pile of unopened post lay scattered across the hallway floor which was proof no one had been here for a while and as I looked round, I noticed the piles of empty kebab boxes, take away wrappers and paper scattered across the floor. The furniture was beginning to develop a thick coating of dust and as I made my way into the kitchen, I shook my head in disbelief. The once pristine cooker was now brown and sticky with used cooking oil and grease, burnt food strewn over the rings while the worktops were filled with empty bottles, containers, and tins of mouldy old food. The sink was piled high with dishes and cups and the bin overflowed onto the kitchen floor. Plates of uneaten food lay on the kitchen table, only fit for a science experiment due to the mould growing from it and from the other side of the kitchen, a foul smell radiated from the fridge.
Not even daring to look, I covered my nose and went back into the hallway and made my way into the lounge. The lounge was usually immaculate but today, the scatter cushions was strewn all over the floor, empty glasses and coffee mugs sat on the coffee table while bowls filled with used fag butts lined the top of the mantle piece. Piles of clothes were thrown across both sofas, while crumbs and bits of dirt littered the once white carpet.
"What have they done here?" mumbled Blake in disgust, as we walked towards the staircase. "This is pure filth! How can anyone live like this?"
"I know," I sighed sadly. "This place was like a palace when I was here. They must have just let it go to the dogs when I left. Come one, let's check upstairs."
Slowly, we climbed the stairs, being careful not to trip on the piles of shoes and clothes that lay scattered about. Whoever they belonged to, made it clear to see that they had left in a hurry. Silently, I walked across the towel strewn landing, which smelt strongly of damp and kicked numerous empty toilet roll holders out of the way.
"I'll check Louisa's bedroom," I mumbled. "If she is home, which I hardly doubt, she will be there, but judging by this place, she too has absconded."
I marched over to her bedroom door and roughly pushed the door open to gasp loudly at what greeted me. The room was bare and empty. Gone was all her clothes and makeup that was usually scattered over the floor and so were the boxes of shoes piled high. Gone was her TV and sound system, her fairy lights, and photos that she had stuck to the wall. Only bare empty furniture was left in their place alongside an empty bed with no bedding.
"She has gone!" I whispered, glancing back at a moody looking Blake. "She has clearly left to go to her boyfriends. That's the only place she could have gone."
"What if she is with them?" replied Blake angrily. "What if they have kidnapped her and are hurting Louisa too!"
"Nah, Julianne wouldn't do that to Louisa," I laughed gently in disgust. "Louisa is her perfect little princess. No, Louisa has probably moved out to her boyfriend's place."
"Let's check the other two bedrooms then," growled Blake furiously, before walking out of the room and out of sight.
I walked across the landing and towards a door which I knew housed my old room. Pausing briefly, I inhaled deeply and pulled open the door and walked in. It was clear that no one had been in this room since the day I had left. The room was still spotless and my remaining possessions untouched. Blinking back the tears, I turned to walk out of the room, but Blake stopped me in my tracks.
"Wait!" he whispered. "This is your room, wasn't it? All this stuff is your possessions. Why are you walking away?"
"Because I don't want it," I sniffed. "It's tainted with the memories of this place."
"But didn't your parents buy you all of this when they was alive?" Blake pressed on. "Think of those memories."
"Yeah, I guess," I shrugged, looking back at the room behind me. "I'll come another day and get some bits."
"No, we will get it today," huffed Blake, beckoning a warrior over to us who had followed us upstairs. "Pack all of Libby's things up and put it in one of the cars. Everything in this room apart from the furniture needs to go!"
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"Yes boss!" the warrior nodded, before pushing past me and entering the room.
Smiling softly, I bowed my head and made my way towards the last bedroom. Pushing the door open, I glanced inside to see that the room was a tip. Broken furniture lay smashed up in a pile while the floor was covered with empty alcohol bottles. Clothes, shoes, and porn magazines lay scattered across the bed, while the curtains and curtain pole hung dangerously from the wall, held on by one screw.
"Yeah, they're not here obviously," I shrugged, turning back towards the stairs. "Let's go."
"Boss! What is the god-awful smell coming from the kitchen?" Damien shouted loudly up the stairs. "It smells like a dead body down here!"
Frowning at Blake, we quickly descended the stairs and walked back into the kitchen, to where we was greeted once more with the foul smell that we smelt earlier. Disgusted, I crinkled up my nose and looked at Damien in disgust. "I thought it was the fridge smelling like that," I shrugged. "Whatever it is, it bloody stinks. Let's just get out of here!"
"No wait! I checked the fridge," Damian replied puzzled, pointing to a door beside the fridge. "The fridge is empty. The smell is coming from behind that door."
"That door is only a storage cupboard," I replied looking at the locked door Damien was pointing too. "Julianne always kept it locked as she said the floor in the cupboard was unsafe due to it being rotten."
"Well, it's not locked anymore, is it?" Blake retorted, wrenching the door open and pulling the locks straight out of the door frame. "Come on! Let's go and see what secrets Julianne has been hiding behind this door!" Curiously, I peered around Blake's shoulder as he opened the door. The cupboard was in fact clean and empty, the floor hardly rotten, but another locked door was revealed, but the smell had become stronger. "Jesus wept!” cried Damien loudly, covering his nose and urging loudly. "What is that smell?"
"Another door?" Blake queried slowly. "What's behind that one?"
"I don't know," I stammered gently. "Like I said, I've never been in this cupboard. Julianne kept it locked!"
"Maybe Louisa did us all a favour and killed James and Julianne and locked their bodies behind it," laughed Damian loudly from behind us. "We can only hope!"
"I don't think so," I whispered, shaking my head slowly. "Louisa loved her Mum. They were best friends!"
"Well, we aren't going to find out what is causing the smell by standing here, are we?" replied Blake loudly. "Let's see what is behind this door!"
Blake stepped forward and swiftly ripped open the door like had done with the first which filled the cupboard with a stronger waft of the putrid smell. Coughing loudly, he covered his nose with his arm and beckoned us to follow him. As we walked through the door, a set of wooden stairs greeted us, leading us down underneath the house. I glanced up at Blake nervously as we began our decent into the unknown and towards the smell, not knowing what would be down there to greet us.